Saturday, March 16, 2013

Epicenter of the Caesar Cult

An epicenter is to point on the earth's surface nearest to the point underground where the earthquake actually began.

The Caesar cult (or imperial cult) grew up around Roman emperors, and Julius Caesar was the first emperor elevated to the status of deity, and the Caesar cult became especially strong in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) during the time of Augustus, and temples built in his honor became models for the rest of the empire.

The seven churches addressed in Revelation were located in Asia Minor, so this region could well be called the center of the Caesar cult. Hank Hanegraaff's use of the word epicenter may be a bit of a stretch, but it does make a good point: Those who proclaimed Jesus as lord were in direct conflict with the cult that declared Caesar as lord. And in the first century, Asia Minor played a significant rule in the Caesar cult.

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